There are many instances in which asbestos insulation applied to pipes must be removed so as to avoid the risk of contaminating the area in which such pipes are located. Contamination can occur as a result of deterioriation of the insulation or as a result of inadvertent physical damaging of the insulation, or both. Removal of such insulation must be undertaken in an extremely careful manner, not only to avoid contamination of the adjacent environment, but also to ensure protection for the workers engaged in removing such insulation.
Equipment for use in removing asbestos insulation from pipes has been proposed heretofore. For example, pipe-supported bags for such purpose are disclosed in British patent specification No. 1,567,270 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,626,291. Theoretically, such bags will perform satisfactorily, but in actual practice this is not always the case.
One of the disadvantages of bags of the kind disclosed in the publications referred to above is the difficulty in moving the bag longitudinally of the pipe as the insulation stripping progresses. Another disadvantage encountered with such bags is their inability to accommodate pipe supports, i.e., suspension straps or rods, by means of which a pipe is supported at an overhead level. A further disadvantage of such prior art bags is that the manner in which the bag is suspended from a pipe, coupled with the difficulty in moving the bag longitudinally of the pipe, subjects the bag to potential failure as a result of the weight of insulation contained in the bag as the latter is attempted to be moved along the pipe.
A further disadvantage of the prior art bags is that they are intended to be disposable following each use. For the protection of the worker, however, each bag is fitted with integral sleeves and/or gloves which are disposed of with the bag once the latter has been filled. This represents substantial expense.